


Peace and Quiet

by starlight_over_the_rainbow



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Feelings Realization, How Do I Tag, Light Angst, Long-Distance Friendship, Long-Distance Relationship, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 12:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30089418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlight_over_the_rainbow/pseuds/starlight_over_the_rainbow
Summary: Milo is getting pretty sick of his fellow Gym Leader, Nessa, showing up for Pokémon battles when he's trying to relax after a long day at work, but he's too shy to bring it up to her, especially since their battles always seem to make her so happy. When Nessa ends up traveling overseas for work for a month, Milo intends to make the most of his peace and quiet, only to find himself missing the Water-type specialist a lot more than he thought he would.
Relationships: Rurina | Nessa/Yarrow | Milo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. A Routine Interruption

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've been reading Pokémon SWSH fanfic on Ao3 for a while but this is my first time actually posting a fic of my own and my first time trying to write fanfiction since I was in, like, middle school. Please bear with me! I decided to start with MiloxNessa because I love the pairing and there's so little fanfic of them on Ao3, and most of what is there is either smut or a fic that features them as a background pairing. Also this was originally going to be a oneshot but it got longer than I intended.

“Milo! Milo, Milo, hey!”

The green-eyed gym leader quicky turned his head away from the book that he was reading at hearing the sound of his name, and gave a gentle sigh at the familiar sight that awaited him. Standing just beyond the fence that lined his property on the dusty path was a young woman with long black and blue hair, too stylishly dressed to believably be a natural part of the small, dusty farming town. Once she noticed him looking at her, she fished into her purse and pulled out a Dive Ball, holding it up and smirking at him. Nessa.

Milo let out a gentle sigh and set his book down on the small table next to the porch before standing up and walking down. _Looks like I’m not finishing my book tonight,_ he thought as he stood up and made his way down to his self-proclaimed rival, making sure to remember to put a smile on his face.

“Whatever could you want from me, Miss Nessa?” He said with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. “Hold on, let me guess- a Pokémon battle?”

She grinned back. “Don’t hold back this time, flower boy.”

\---------------

If Milo had said that he didn’t think that Nessa’s random intrusions into the little free time that he had was irritating, he’d be lying. He had never envied the lives of constant attention and noise that more popular gym leaders like her and Raihan had. He was honestly kind of surprised with himself at having become a gym leader at all; as a kid, he was too shy to try and join the Gym Challenge or even go on a different kind of Pokémon journey. He loved Pokémon, sure- he spent his entire childhood bringing every single Gossifleur, Oddish and Cherubi he found back to his family’s farm and begging his parents to let him keep them as pets, requests which at first they always refused. _These are wild Pokémon, Milo,_ they had said over and over again, _and we have enough to take care of between us and the Wooloo. If you really want to make friends with wild Pokémon, you should become a trainer. I’m sure there are other kids just like you that you could make friends with if you wanted to go on a journey, but Pokémon like these don’t belong in a house._ Eventually they had caved in when Milo had brought home his first Applin, if only because all dragons are stubbornly loyal to whoever they get attached to and the little thing kept coming back, managing to break into the house no less than 5 times before Milo’s parents finally caved and let him keep it if he promised to keep it in a Poké Ball. 

While he did eventually become a proper trainer and even a gym leader, Milo still preferred the company of his Pokémon and the plants he grew to other humans. They were just… _easier_ to deal with. That’s not to say that he didn’t care about his human friends or his job as a gym leader, though. Far from it, in fact- it was his friends in Turffield’s trainer community and his position as gym leader that had allowed the flower garden that he had started as a hobby to grow into a real business, to the point where he was even able to move onto his own property away from his increasingly crowded family home, the first few months of which were absolute _heaven._ He hadn’t remembered the last time he was able to spend an evening relaxing with a good book and a cup of tea without his brother or one of his cousins interrupting him.

His days tending to his flowers and battling gym challengers might have been long and strenuous, but because of it all he had a place to go for some peace and quiet with his Pokémon, something he didn’t get much of. He was eternally grateful for that.

But then, _she_ showed up.

\---------------

By the time the battle ended, the sun had already almost set. Calling Appletun back into its Poké Ball, Milo watched as Nessa briefly stretched her arms over her head, the light of the setting sun briefly catching on her glossy manicured nails. Milo smiled to himself. Nessa was such a fun trainer to battle with that he couldn’t really complain about being interrupted- not that he would. He never complained to his friends about anything, worried that they’d get mad at him and stop being his friends. Nessa in particular. She was someone you just couldn’t replace; driven, determined, passionate about her battling, yet kind and always willing to help him out when he was in a pinch. Not to mention drop-dead gorgeous…

Milo sighed. He was being selfish, and he knew it. Anyone in their right mind would be happy to have Nessa walk up to them and ask to battle no matter what was going on. But as the sun continued to set, he couldn’t help but glance back up at his house, eager to get back inside in time to maybe be able to read a few more pages of his book before going to bed. He picked his brain for a way to end the conversation quickly.

“So,” he began in a cheery voice. “Great battle as always, Ness.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks. Figured I’d get in one last battle before I leave on Saturday.”

Milo’s eyes shot open. “Leave?” he asked, confused. “Where are you going?” She laughed, noticing the subtle panic in his voice even more than he did. She had a clear, pristine laugh, like ocean waves on a sunny day, and hearing it ring through the otherwise quiet town made Milo’s cheeks turn red with embarrassment.

“Didn’t you see my post on Pokégram?” Nessa asked Milo. He shook his head- he had an account, but didn’t have too much time to actually post anything on it besides the occasional photo of his Pokémon when he had free time, which as established, was practically never. “I’ve got a job overseas,” she continued. “The designer works with Water-type Pokémon a lot and is making a collection inspired by them and by the ocean, but he apparently ran into a creative rut. Someone suggested that he work with me since I spend so much time with them too, and since it’s the off season I have time to go on a big trip like this,” she explained. “I’ll be in Hoenn for about a month.”

 _About a month._ “That sounds great, Nessa! I’m happy for you,” Milo replied, friendliness never faltering. “Hope you have a good time!”

_A month without Nessa._

_A month with no interruptions._

_A month with no “rivalry”._

“I’ll be sure to take lots of photos for you, mate,” Nessa playfully remarked. “Phew! Looks like it’s getting dark. I should probably go. See you!” she shouted, running off down the path and pulling out her phone to call a Flying Taxi. Milo lifted his hand to wave good-bye at her, but to tell the truth, he was only half-listening to the things she had just said. The same thought played over and over in his head as he walked back to his house..

_A month of peace and quiet._

_A month of peace and quiet._

_A month of peace and quiet._

_A month of peace and quiet._


	2. This is Supposed to be Fun

The first few days, as he had predicted, were _wonderful_.

For the first time in years, he had his evenings entirely to himself. He could enjoy the sunset and the near-silence of the evening air without worrying about whether someone was going to interrupt it. And he made use of it. He took evening walks through his garden, quietly admiring the flowers that he’d grown. He checked out five books from the library and finished them all in less than a week. He made dinner for himself and his Pokémon and they ate outside almost every day. One day he even took the time to bake pie- his mother’s apple pie, albeit _slightly_ more burnt- because he could now take it outside and share it with his Pokémon without a certain _someone_ coming along and asking if she could have a piece, and also maybe a Pokémon battle.

“Isn’t this fun?” Milo commented one day to his Eldegoss, who was gently resting on the arm of the porch rocking chair where Milo sat. “I wish every night could be like this. No interruptions, just peace and quiet. Don’t you agree?”

The Pokémon said nothing, simply staring at his trainer for a few minutes before hopping off the arm of the chair to join the rest of his Pokémon, who were all sitting in the grass that separated his house from the dusty road that led to town. They’d been like this recently, sitting together and chatting while their trainer read a book or simply watched the sunset. Milo let out a sigh. Sometimes he wished that he could understand Pokémon. His in particular always seemed to be very invested in whatever they were currently chatting to each other about. _Probably isn’t anything that humans could understand,_ Milo thought to himself as he leaned back in his chair.

Night began to fall, and Milo picked up his Poké Balls from where he had put them when he let his Pokémon out. “Alright, guys, time to turn in for the night,” he called out to his team. One by one, the Pokémon turned to look at him before standing up and heading over to the porch to be put back in their Poké balls for the night.

“Something the matter, buddy?” Milo asked his Appletun as the dragon wandered over to him. Appletun was the first Pokémon he was ever allowed to keep, and the strongest member of his party, so seeing him act as distracted as he’d been earlier today was worrying to Milo. In response, the apple pie dragon only pointed his snout sharply towards the dirt path before glancing back to Milo quizzically. _What could he mean by… oh. Oh, I get it._ Milo crouched down to pat his Pokémon on the head. “I see. You don’t know why Nessa isn’t coming around anymore, huh?” Appletun gave an excited little _yip_ of assertation, and Milo couldn’t help but giggle. “It’s okay, she’s not gone forever. She’s just on vacation. She’ll be back soon.” Appletun appeared to be content with that response, and nuzzled into his leg briefly before returning to its Poké Ball.

In the seconds before he stepped inside, Milo took one last look around at his farm under the night sky. _It really is quiet without anyone else around,_ Milo thought to himself. Without the Pokémon around, the only sound was the breeze blowing through the trees. Standing there by himself, the world suddenly felt very big and empty. Milo clutched his team’s Poké Balls to his chest just a tiny bit tighter. _I should head inside and get some sleep,_ Milo thought. _The dark is starting to give me the creeps._

\---------------

“This is supposed to be fun.”

Just a few days later, Milo found himself seated in the same rocking chair with yet another library book in his hands- except this time, he couldn’t bring himself to focus on his reading. “This is supposed to be fun. I’m relaxing. I’m relaxing.” He took deep breaths as he repeated these phrases to himself.

Since the night with his Pokémon, the unsettling feeling that he’d gotten as he stood in the dark and took in true quiet has been following him everywhere. While tending to his flowers and his Pokémon, while he took walks through the woods on Route 5, and even when he went into town to grab groceries. But it was always present during his evening “peace and quiet” time. He felt more and more like he was trying to hide from something, activities he once loved becoming monotonous with repetition. It didn’t help that his Pokémon always insisted on sitting in the front yard and waiting for Nessa to come back, chatting to each other in voices their human trainer couldn’t understand. It made him uncomfortable, and so he had made it a point to bring them on his earlier walks so that he could spend evenings by himself. However, that didn’t help at all. He just felt guilty, like there was some sound advice given to him by a close friend that he was ignoring.

Nessa wasn’t gone forever. She was on vacation for a month, and half that month was already over.

So why did his space feel so empty without her? Why was he sitting here, expecting to hear her voice call his name every time the wind blew? When had freedom become emptiness?

He didn’t understand.

“Just relax, Milo. Nessa’s coming back in two weeks, and you might not get another chance to relax like this once she does. Relax. You _like_ this book. It’s _interesting._ ” He gripped the pages of the book tighter, trying desperately to make himself focus on the words, to no avail. He’d started the book this morning, and the plot _was_ interesting- an old-fashioned murder mystery about a count murdered for his fortune, with twists at nearly every turn. Around the halfway point the detective finds out that whoever the culprit is has hidden the count’s fortune at the bottom of the ocean, so the detective gets these sailors with sonar on their ship to help him find it and Milo read it wondering _oh I wonder how that works, I wonder if Nessa would know since she spends so much time sailing_ and now he can’t focus.

It’s like his voice is strained from disuse over these past two weeks, only talking to his Pokémon, who can’t talk back, not really. He wants to talk to her about the books that he’s read or funny things that his Pokémon did while out on picnics. He can’t help but think about her whenever _anything_ even _remotely_ related to her comes up.

Why?

When did she become a part of his space in this way? When did her passion for battling become part of the air around him, when did he become able to hear her voice, her laugh, even when she’s oceans away from him?

A breeze blows by, and he swears he can hear her calling his name.

_“Milo…”_

He hangs his head in shame, burying his face in the pages of the book that now rests lazily on his lap. He’s such a horrible friend. She might never come back. He might never see her again. He might never see Nessa again, and the _last_ thing he thought of when talking to her is how _great_ it would be to get _away_ from her for-

“MILO!”

A very loud, very present voice startles him out of his thoughts. His book falls out of his lap, hitting the wood of the porch with a _thud._ Slowly, he turns around, almost expecting to see dark skin and hair, and piercing blue eyes.

Instead, the girl who calls out to him has blond hair, tied back into a ponytail, and green eyes. And she’s not alone. Two boys, each with brown hair, green eyes and glasses, stand behind her. And although they’re not in their typical uniforms, Milo could still recognize them anywhere.

“Leah!” He faux-excitedly exclaims, putting on a fake smile as he waves to his trio of gym trainers. “Samuel, Mark, what’s up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably not going to have Chapter 3 up for a bit, as it's midterms week for me (ugh), but I hope you guys have enjoyed what's here so far! Please feel free to comment with feedback! I'm new here, I could probably use the advice :D


End file.
